Machinery

New OMAs for Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä has renewed for the second time its Optimised Maintenance Agreement (OMA) with the Åland-Islands based shipping group Rederi Ab Eckerö. Under the terms of this latest fiveyear agreement, Wärtsilä will be responsible for maintenance of the main and auxiliary engines in six vessels within the customer’s fleet. Annual performance audits aimed at ensuring optimal operating efficiency will also be carried out. The agreement was signed in May 2021.

“Our policy is to make every effort to maximise the operating efficiency and minimise the environmental impact of our ships. By working closely with Wärtsilä, who as the manufacturer of the engines is best qualified to maintain them, we are supporting and strengthening this policy,” says Daniel Olsén Technical Manager, Rederi Ab Eckerö.

“Renewing our agreement for the second time gives a clear indication that the customer is satisfied with the tailor-made services & solutions we deliver. OMAs are an important element of Wärtsilä’s Lifecycle Solutions approach to supporting and enhancing our customers’ business performance,” says Markus Nyström, Senior Account Manager, Wärtsilä Marine Power.

Wärtsilä has also signed a seven-year longterm OMA to support the operations of two river pusher tugs operating in Northern Brazil. The vessels are owned by Hidrovias do Brasil, a leader in South American river transportation. This agreement is the second of its type with Hidrovias. The vessels operate with Wärtsilä 20 engines, often in shallow waters and remote locations. These challenging operating conditions make the planning and execution of maintenance procedures difficult. This agreement, therefore, allows the customer to focus on its core business knowing that the service level is efficient and the long-term costs fully predictable.

Included in the agreement are Wärtsilä’s Data-Driven Dynamic Maintenance Planning and Expert Insight innovations to deliver remote operational and technical support. The service also includes other important benefits, such as an insight to fuel efficiency, maximised uptime with maintenance being carried out on an ‘as-needed’ basis rather than according to a set number of operating hours, spare parts planning and co-ordination, and personnel training.

“Long-term maintenance contracts guarantee the reliability and availability of the Wärtsilä engines installed in our main pushers. Under this contract we receive technical support from the manufacturer of the engines, parts for preventative maintenance, and remote monitoring of the engines’ performance. Because of the gains it provides when wellmanaged, maintenance is a strategic area for us. Therefore, we identified the need to continue with a long-term contract in partnership with Wärtsilä,” says Ricardo Brandalise, Maintenance Manager, Hidrovias do Brasil

“OMAs are part of Wärtsilä’s Lifecycle Solutions offering, and are designed to improve our customers’ business performance and competitiveness. With these agreements, we are able to increase availability and ensure optimal efficiency. The addition of Expert Insight to our lifecycle offering takes predictive maintenance and optimisation to levels never seen before, thus enabling reduced unplanned maintenance and optimised fuel efficiency with a corresponding reduction in emissions. We are pleased to continue strengthening our partnership with Hidrovias do Brasil with this agreement,” says Marcelo Barthaburu, General Manager, Agreement Sales Americas, Wärtsilä Marine Power.

An earlier agreement with Hidrovias, signed in 2017, covered eight river pusher tugs operating in Paraguay.

One of the Hidrovias river pusher tug fleet

One of the Eckerö fleet

New headquarters for TED

TED’s Hewitt House

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the incorporation of Tyne Electro Diesel (TED), the Directors of TED have named the Walker Riverside facility, Newcastle, ‘Hewitt House’ in memory of the late Harvey Hewitt, the original Managing Director. In partnership with Merlin Diesel Systems Limited, Harvey Hewitt established TED as the best equipped, independent heavy duty diesel fuel injection workshop anywhere. His legacy is now visible in a purpose built 1,858 m2 facility on the banks of the Tyne.

Gerry Mulholland, of TED said, “We are delighted to be able to celebrate Harvey Hewitt’s legacy with our new facility named after him and our expansion plans growing the business.”

New orders for Thordon Bearings’ COMPAC system

China’s Fujian Southeast Shipyard has delivered four in a series of five new product tankers ordered by Malaysia’s Orkim Sdn Bhd. The 9,000 dwt Orkim Sapphire and Orkim Pearl, and 14,500 dwt Orkim Diamond and Orkim Emerald represent the first vessels in the ship operator’s fleet to be fitted with COMPAC seawater lubricated shafting systems from Thordon Bearings. Working with the shipowner’s representative, Shanghai-based CY Engineering, Thordon’s authorised distributor in China, supplied, installed and commissioned COMPAC seawater lubricated bearings machined for shaft diameters of 380 mm and 405 mm. Thordon’s Water Quality Package also formed part of the supply scope to the single screw ships.

When the Orkim Topaz, the final vessel in the series, is delivered later this year, the Orkim fleet will total 23 oil and gas tankers totalling some 187,328 dwt, ranging from 3,251 dwt LPG tankers to 50,000 dwt product tankers. The average age of the fleet is under eight years old.

The COMPAC system is a high-performance seawater-lubricated bearing system primarily for ‘blue water’ operating environments. Specially formulated to reduce start up friction and eliminate stick-slip, an open seawater lubricated propeller shaft system offers considerable advantages to ship owners, not only in bearing wear life predictability and reliability, but they are also more economical to maintain, easier to install and are future compliant.

The COMPAC system, which typically includes bearings, shaft liners, Water Quality Package, ThorShield shaft coating and a forward seal, is guaranteed to meet Classification Society propeller shaft bearing wear specifications for 25 years.

Meanwhile, COSCO Shipping Specialised Carriers, a subsidiary of China Ocean Shipping Group (COSCO), COSCO Shipping Lines, has confirmed that the eight newbuild multipurpose cargo vessels building in COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry (Dalian) will each feature a COMPAC seawater lubricated shaftline arrangement from Thordon Bearings.

CY Engineering, Thordon’s authorised distributor in China will supply and oversee the installation of a COMPAC open seawater lubricated propeller shaft system designed for shaft diameters of 553 mm (21.7 in). The scope of supply, to be rolled out in two fourship batches scheduled for August 2021 and December 2022, includes COMPAC propeller shaft bearings, shaft liners, ThorShield shaft coating, and Thordon’s Water Quality Package.

Since 2007, when COSCO first used water lubricated bearings on a pair of 5,000-unit pure car/truck carriers (PCTCs), CY Engineering has supplied Thordon’s award-winning system to more than 90 COSCO ships, including tankers, bulk carriers, semi-submersible, ro/ro vessels and multi-purpose cargo ships.

The Orkim Pearl

Royston Marine boosts its EFMS

UK’s Royston Marine has boosted its electronic fuel management system (EFMS) business across Asia Pacific with the appointment of a new enginei agent for Thailand and a regional director. Under the arrangement, Songkhlabased maritime equipment supplier and service support specialist ST Marine Services will be responsible for providing sales and aftermarket technical support for enginei to the marine sector operating in Thailand.

In a further move that also strengthens Royston’s presence across Asia Pacific and Middle East, Alexis Nyeo has been promoted from area manager to regional director. Bringing 10 years’ experience in sales, engineering and business management to the role, he will continue to develop new business among regional marine vessel operators for the company’s enginei suite of digital solutions and oversee key accounts.

The developments come as Royston continues to see strong demand and sales, providing bespoke digital solutions among global marine owners and operators looking for a competitive advantage, while safeguarding compliance with IOC’s requirements and aiding vessel performance in an evolving environmental legislative landscape. enginei can be installed as part of a comprehensive suite of advanced digital marine technologies, designed to offer enhanced longterm operational efficiency and performance.

The combination of world leading sensing technologies with exceptional data science provide accurate and meaningful insights extracted from data which onshore and offshore teams can translate into tangible operational value.

Royston and ST Marine both have strong working relationships within the marine industry and will be leveraging their combined expertise and technical skills to secure additional market share and sector reach.

Alexis Nyeo said ST Marine’s in-depth regional knowledge and track record in supplying and supporting state-of-the-art maritime technologies will help drive growth for enginei. “They will be representing a very beneficial, competitive and capable added value solution in enginei. Through ST Marine, we will be looking to extend our commercial and support reach, generating new opportunities and growth for both companies.”

Worrakarn Wiranant, director at ST Marine, added, “We are delighted to be appointed as agent for enginei in Thailand. The partnership should bring considerable benefits as we share a commitment to engineering technical expertise and have the same core values of customer service, excellence and quality.”

Worrakarn Wiranant (third right) and Pimpisa Thamsangsri (fourth right), ST Marine general manager, with other colleagues from ST Marine

Service work on a MTU turbocharger

Rolls-Royce and MAN sign turbocharger agreement

Rolls-Royce and MAN Energy Solutions have signed an agreement for a strategic partnership, that will see MAN’s PBST brand distribute stateof-the-art MTU turbochargers. “With this cooperation, we are combining our competencies - on the one hand, PBST’s global sales structure for turbochargers and, on the other hand, RollsRoyce’s latest high-efficiency MTU turbocharger technology for high-speed diesel and gas engines,” explains Andreas Schell, CEO of RollsRoyce Power Systems.

The turbochargers developed and produced in-house by Rolls-Royce Power Systems will thus be made available in additional markets. For Rolls-Royce, this creates a new channel for sales in addition to Woodward L’Orange. PBST will include the latest generation of the MTU turbocharger family ZR1 to ZR5 in its product portfolio and will distribute them under the series name HIRO in the future.

“The MTU brand is characterised above all by its in-depth know-how in high-speed applications. Thanks to this product expansion, we are now able to offer our customers exactly the right turbocharger for their high-, medium- and low-speed applications under one roof via the PBST brand,” says Dr. Uwe Lauber, CEO of MAN Energy Solutions.

The MTU turbochargers are offered on the basis of a modular system for engines in the 400 to 2,500 kW power ranges in single- and twostage versions. Rolls-Royce designs them to meet the specific requirements of various applications such as marine, rail, construction, heavy land vehicles and power supply.

“Advanced turbocharging helps engines achieve low fuel consumption and high power over a wide speed range. It is an important building block for meeting increasingly stringent emission requirements in the future - without compromising engine performance or efficiency,” explains Dr. Otto Preiss, Chief Technology Officer and COO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “With the aim of offering new propulsion and energy solutions for a climateneutral future, we are also currently working on electrically assisted turbochargers for greater agility and lower fuel consumption, as well as on turbocharger concepts for fuel cells.”

The power of an internal combustion engine can be increased by turbocharging. A turbocharger compresses the air so that more oxygen flows into the combustion chamber. This allows more fuel to burn, and engine output increases accordingly. The turbocharger is driven by the exhaust gas, which makes turbocharged diesel and gas engines very efficient.

New guide from Rivertrace

A new guide from water monitoring specialist Rivertrace examines the controversial subject of wastewater discharges and their potential environmental impact. The guide covers the MARPOL regulations controlling discharges from exhaust gas cleaning systems, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system bleed off, bilge water treatment and tank washing systems.

Exhaust gas cleaning systems, better known

Mike Coomber

as scrubbers, allow ships to operate on highsulphur fuel oil rather than more expensive very low sulphur fuel oil after the global 0.5% cap on fuel sulphur levels became effective on January 1st 2020. After a lull caused by low crude oil prices in 2020 and the effects of the COVID pandemic, scrubber uptake continues to advance, with systems even being specified for newbuildings with dual-fuel capability. For larger ship types some analysts believe they will become the optimal means for complying with emission abatement regulations.

A fierce debate is taking place with some opposed to scrubbers claiming they merely shift pollution from air to sea and seeking a ban on open loop scrubbers, while proponents point to conflicting research showing other advantages. A recent CE Delft study found the increase in CO2 footprint from the additional refining of MGO to likely be in the range of 10%-15% and potentially as high as 25%, whereas the increased CO2 from EGCS is only in the range of 1%-1.5% and the sulphur discharged to the oceans is in a harmless form.

New IMO guidelines for scrubbers were formulated in February 2020, but restricted time at virtual meetings held in November 2020 (MEPC 75) and June 2021 (MEPC 76) meant that the subject was dropped at both meetings. The guide examines current regulations in detail while anticipating these and other future guidelines on water quality and monitoring for scrubbers and EGR. It also covers regulations on monitoring oil content in bilge water and from tank washing systems in tankers, including a section on the science behind monitoring and the various methods employed in modern monitoring systems.

Mike Coomber of Rivertrace said, “Regulations around monitoring is a hot topic in the shipping industry. Although IMO has found it necessary to concentrate on other issues at the present time, the controversy around exhaust gas cleaning is not going away and we anticipate more national and regional authorities taking independent action. This guide will help owners and operators understand the issues and take appropriate action to ensure compliance.

“The need to develop harmonised international rules covering wastewater quality and monitoring is pressing. At Rivertrace we are constantly refining our product range and developing new systems that give shipowners confidence of knowing their vessels are meeting all regulatory requirements and avoiding the chance of penalties and detentions.”

ABB azipods benefit from OptimE

Already delivering decisive efficiency gains to an ever-increasing variety of ship types, ABB Azipod electric propulsion now benefits from an automated steering function that helps further minimise fuel consumption and emissions.

The new digital solution, ABB Ability OptimE – Toe Angle Optimisation for Propulsion, supports crew in achieving maximum propulsion efficiency by automatically selecting the optimal steering angle for the ship’s Azipod system. With ABB Ability OptimE, further fuel savings of up to 1.5% are achievable depending on a ship’s operating profile, in addition to Azipod propulsion’s ability to cut fuel consumption by up to 20% when compared with a traditional shaftline setup. Without requiring any additional skills from the crew, the digital solution adds a new dimension to proven Azipod systems efficiencies, which have already saved more than 1m tonnes of fuel in the cruise sector alone. ABB Ability OptimE automatically adjusts the steering angle to achieve continuous optimal flow through the propulsors, taking prevailing operational needs and working conditions into account.

“Maximising the energy efficiency of assets is a top priority for ABB and we are delighted to demonstrate yet further fuel savings and emission reductions in our Azipod propulsion systems,” said Antto Shemeikka, Vice President Digital Services, ABB Marine & Ports. “We view the ship as a system where hardware and software operate seamlessly together to deliver maximum efficiency. We believe that every shipowner using Azipod technology will want to capitalise on the further efficiency gains enabled by ABB Ability OptimE.”

Suitable both for newbuilds and retrofitting, ABB Ability OptimE is the latest example of the growing number of ABB Marine & Ports ‘Bridge to Propeller’ integrated solutions for ships, which include bridge control, sensors, digital reporting, automation, and propulsion technology.

ABB Azipod propulsion is a gearless steerable propulsion system where the electric drive motor is in a submerged pod outside the ship’s hull. Azipod units can rotate through 360o to increase manoeuvrability and operating efficiency. Due to minimal noise and vibration, Azipod propulsion also improves passenger and crew comfort.

The ABB Azipod propulsion system on-board an ice-breaking tanker

(From left to right) Young-Gi Kim, HSD and Sang-Min Lee, HSD, Young-Ki Lee, ABB Turbocharging and Jae-Ung Park, ABB Turbocharging (On screen left to right) Cristian Corotto, ABB Turbocharging and Mauro De Micheli, ABB Turbocharging

HSD offers ABB’s Tekomar XPERT

South Korea’s HSD Engine is to offer ABB’s diagnostics and advisory software Tekomar XPERT to shipowners operating its two-stroke and four-stroke marine engines. Tekomar XPERT is a digital performance optimisation platform applicable to any engine that can help shipping companies achieve substantial fuel savings and greenhouse gas emission reductions. Under the agreement, HSD Engine will offer the software as an option to shipowners, strengthening Tekomar XPERT’s position in the market.

Sang Min Lee, Senior General Manager, HSD Engine said, “In response to market demand, HSD Engine reviewed various solutions for engine performance optimisation and evaluation. We expect that Tekomar XPERT will give us a competitive advantage in the market and our target is to provide it as part of our standard engine package. After a long partnership in the turbocharger field, we are pleased to extend our relationship with ABB into digital solutions to deliver even greater value for our customers.”

Cristian Corotto, Senior Vice President Digital Customer Solutions, ABB Turbocharging added, “This agreement is a strong endorsement of Tekomar XPERT’s capabilities and an important step in expanding the installed base. We are honoured that HSD Engine has chosen to take this step into digital optimisation with us.”

HSD Engine’s customers deploying Tekomar XPERT will benefit from significantly improved engine performance. The software’s performance evaluation and advisory is based on high quality, reliable engine operating data, transforming them into actionable insights to reduce fuel consumption, cut emissions and optimise maintenance. In addition, using the Tekomar XPERT for fleet web application, managers can benchmark and optimise engine performance even across diverse fleets with multiple engine types.

HSD Engine, previously known as Doosan Engine, has delivered low-speed and mediumspeed marine engines developed by leading engine designers since 1983. It continues to deliver between 90-100 engines each year.

IRClass offers new EEXI and CII services

Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) are now offering two new services Energy Efficiency Existing Ships Index (EEXI) and Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII). Through these new services IRClass will assist shipowners and managers in assessing the EEXI and CII of their vessels and determine compliance.

Vessels will have to demonstrate compliance by the annual, intermediate or renewal IAPP survey whichever comes first on or after January 1st 2023, by preparing a comprehensive EEXI Technical File including calculations on Attained EEXI which must be equal to or less than the required EEXI value set for that specific ship type and size as outlined by IMO.

IRClass has developed web-based electronic tool for calculation of EEXI, evaluation for compliance and preparation of EEXI Technical File in the required format and it will be available on our existing web-based platform for SEEMP and Data collection and reporting.

For vessels which are not meeting the required level of EEXI, IRClass can advise on the reduction measures such as engine power limitation (EPL), fitting a bulbous bow based on operational profile, retrofitting duct around propeller, vortex generator fins / pre or post-swirl fins, Propeller boss cap fins (PBCF), Optimised propeller, alternative fuel. IRClass can provide estimations of energy efficiency improvement using numerical methods such as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis.

The Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) is an operational measure and will be applicable to ships currently required to report fuel consumption data under IMO DCS, i.e., ships of 5,000 gt and above engaged in international voyages. Based on the annual data collected, the attained annual operational CII will have to be calculated, documented, and verified against the required annual operational CII to determine operational carbon intensity rating A, B, C, D or E (A being the most superior). Ship rated D for 3 consecutive years or rated as E shall develop a plan of corrective actions to achieve the required annual operational CII. IRClass will support the stakeholders in understanding and preparing the revised SEEMP and our electronic tool can be used to determine the attained and required CII and estimate the rating of the vessel. IRClass also provide customised training to create awareness about the new regulations for shore and ship staff.

IRClass Managing Director, Vijay Arora, said, “IRClass supports IMO’s initiatives and is committed to develop new services towards achieving the decarbonisation goals. Through these new services IRClass provides technical expertise to shipowners and managers in achieving compliance.

SORJ

IRClass’ Managing Director –Vijay Arora